Rotary engine



July 27, 1965 A. NovAK 3,196,854

ROTARY ENGINE Filed April 8, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ANDREW NovAK July 27, l965 A. NovAK 3,196,854

ROTARY ENGINE Filed April 8, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Er E E @ELL-E13 INVENTOR.

ANDREW NOVAK ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,196,854 RGTARY ENGINE Andrew Novak, 3930 W. Ridgeway, Flint, Mich. Filed Apr. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 271,306 1 Claim. (Cl. 12S-8) This invention relates to rotary internal combustion engines.

An object of the invention is to provide .an improved valveless internal combustion engine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rotary internal combustion engine having improved rotating piston means.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a rotary internal combustion engine a plurality of hingeably interconnected elongated sliding members arranged for rotation about an axis to form a rotary piston adapted to cooperate with the inner surface of a surrounding cylinder member to form therebetween a plurality of combustion chambers of variable volume.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide in a rotary engine having a plurality of elongated sliding members hingeably interconnected by a hinge element to form `a rotary piston, sealing means associated with said hinge element to provide a continuous movable seal between said piston and the wall of a cylinder member surrounding said piston.

In general, the present invention comprises a stationary cylinder member having a pair of spaced, parallel, opposing flat sides and a pair of opposing curved ends. A cooperating rotatable piston member, adapted to cooperate therewith, is formed by four elongated sliding members, each of equal length and hingeably interconnected by hinge elements at their remote ends each to another, and forming a collapsible, rhomboid-like structure. Four foldable spider larms connect each hinge element to a rotatable shaft axially journaled within and extending from the cylinder. Each sliding member forms, in combination with the cylinder, a separate combustion chamber of the volume of which varies as the piston member rotates within the cylinder. An intake port, an exhaust port, ignition means, and exhaust means are provided in the wall of the cylinder to introduce a combustible fuel mixture into each chamber, to ignite such mixture therein, and to exhaust the residue of combustion therefrom. The configuration of the cylinder and structure of the piston member is such that rotation of the piston member causes the volume of each chamber to be increased, as it, in turn, is drawn past the intake port, whereby the fuel mixture is drawn into the chamber. Further rotation of the piston member causes the volume of the chamber, after the sliding member forming such chamber has been moved past the intake port, to be decreased, compressing the fuel mixture Within such chamber. The fuel mixture is then ignited, forcing further rotation of the piston member and increasing the volume of the chamber. When the chamber has then rotated to a position such as the exhaust port opens into the chamber, the volume of the chamber is decreased, forcing the residue of combustion out of the chamber through said port. The volume and position of each chamber changes, in turn, so that each of the chambers passes successively through the four phases of intake, compression, expansion and exhaust as it makes a complete revolution of the cylinder. Since there are four such chambers, the engine provides four power impulses per revolution.

The above and other objects of the invention which will later become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by the present invention, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated, by way of example only, in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification in which like characters are emice ployed to designate like parts throughout the same, and wherein:

FIGURE l is a vertical cross section at a right angle to the axis of the engine and with the cylinder head removed.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2--2 of FIGURE 1.

1 FIGURE 3 is an exploded perspective view of a toggle ink.

FIGURE 4 is a schematic view of a rotary engine with a chamber in its intake phase.

FIGURE 5 is a schematic view of a rotary engine with a chamber fully expanded.

FIGURE 6 is a schematic View of a roatry engine with a chamber in its compression phase.

FIGURE 7 is a schematic view of a rotary engine with a chamber in its compression phase and at the instant of ignition.

FIGURE 8 is a schematic View of a rotary engine with a chamber in its expansion and power phase.

FIGURE 9 is a schematic view of a rotary engine with a chamber in its exhaust phase.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, a metal casing forming a cylinder member 10 is provided and has a pair of spaced, parallel, opposing flat sides 11, 11 and a pair of opposing, curved ends 12, 12. An intake port 13, adapted to permit the introduction of a combustible mixture, such as a mixture of air and conventional hydrocarbon gas or vaporized liquid, is provided at the juncture of a side 11 and a curved end 12. of cylinder 10. An exhaust port 14, adapted to permit the exhaustion from cylinder 10 of the residue of combustion, is provided at the juncture of the opposing end 12 and the same flat side 11 of the cylinder as intake port 13. Intake port 13 and exhaust port 14 are thus placed in adjacent quadrants but on the same side of the longitudinal axis of cylinder 1%. A spark plug 16, or other conventional ignition means, extends into cylinder 10 in the quadrant diagonally opposite intake port 13. A cylinder head 18 is provided and adapted to be retained tightly against the face of cylinder 10, as by a plurality of cap screws 2) engaging threaded apertures in flanges 22 of the cylinder. A conventional gasket may be utilized between cylinder head 18 and cylinder 19 to seal the joint therebetween. Cylinder 10 may be cooled in any conventional manner, as by surrounding it with a water jacket or by employing fins to radiate heat.

A shaft 24, journaled within a pair of bearings 26 and 23 within cylinder head 18 and cylinder 10, extends through the center of the cylinder head and cylinder and normal thereto. A flywheel may be provided if desired. A boss 30 is provided on shaft 24 within cylinder 10.

A piston member generally indicated at 32 in FIGURE l is comprised of four slide elements 34, 34', 34, and 34', of equal length and hingeably interconnected at their remote ends by cylindrical hinge elements 36 to form a collapsible, rhombus-like structure disposed to surround shaft 24 and to lie within cylinder 10 in such manner as to be rotatable therein, `about said shaft, and with all four hinge elements in constant sliding contact with the walls of the cylinder. Eachhinge member 36 bears on its outer cylindrical surface a curved strip seal 38, as best illustrated in FIGURE 3, to form a gas-tight, pressure-proof sliding seal between piston member 32 and the walls of cylinder 10.

Each hinge element 36 is connected to boss 30 by a radial, foldable spider arm 40 formed by a pair of extension members 42 and 44 connected by hinges 46 to each other and to the boss and hinge element 36. Each hinge element 36 is thus permitted by its associated spider arm 46 to be forced radially inward and outward by the curvature of the walls of cylinder 10, so as to remain in constant Contact with the walls as piston member 32 is rotated about the axis of shaft 24. Rotary motion of the piston member is similarly imparted to the shaft.

Slides 34, 34', 34", and 34"' bear on each edge thereof a pair of elongated, spring-loaded seal strips 48, 48, yieldingly urged into constant contact with the bottom of cylinder 10, and the inner surface of cylinder head 18 to provide a sliding, gas-tight, pressure-proof seal. A springloaded annular sealing ring 50 is borne by each end of each hinge element 36 for a similar purpose. The outer face of each slide 34, 34', 34" and 34"' bears an elongated recess 52 for a purpose more particularly hereinafter described.

Slides 34, 34', 34" and 34"' divide off four separate chambers within cylinder 10. As piston member 32 rotates, each slide, as slide 34 in FIGURE 4, is moved in turn past intake port 13, and the chamber thereby defined is expanded by reason of the geometry of cylinder 19, the reduction of pressure created within such chamber by such expansion causing lan explosive fuel mixture, previously vaporized by a conventional carburetor, to be drawn into the chamber, as shown in FIGURE 4. When piston member 32 has rotated to the position shown in FIGURE 5, the volume of the chamber is at its maximum, and slight additional rotation of the piston member draws hinge element 36, which interconnects slide 34 and the next slide in the piston assembly, slide 34', and seal strip 38 borne thereby, across intake port 13, sealing the chamber olf from the intake port as best shown in FIGURE 6. As piston member 32 continues to rotate from the position shown in FIGURE through that shown in FIGURE 6, and to that shown in FIGURE 7, the geometry of cylinder causes the volume of the chamber to be decreased, and the fuel mixture therein to b'e compressed. When piston member 32 reaches the position shown in FIG- URE 7, such being the position in which the chamber formed by sliding member 34 and the Walls of cylinder 10 has a minimum volume and maximum compression, the entire volume of the fuel mixture is contained within recess 52 of slide 34.

Spark plug 16 is activated by conventional timing and ignition means, when piston 32 reaches the position shown in FIGURE 7, and the compressed fuel mixture within recess 52 is ignited. The explosive, expansive force of the ignited fuel mixture against slide 34 causes piston member 32 to rotate and the Volume of the chamber to be increased, as shown in FIGURE 8, until slide 34 reaches the same position, as that occupied by slide 34" in FIG- URE 5, whereby exhaust port 14 opens into the chamber and the residue of combustion of the chamber may pass outward from the cylinder through the port. At about this instant, however, the next chamber in the sequence, bounded by slide 34', reaches the position shown by slide 34 in FIGURE 7, and the compressed fuel mixture therein is ignited, the expansive force thereby created further rotating piston member 32 through the position shown in FIGURE 9, reducing the volume of the chamber and forcing the products of combustion outward from the cylinder through exhaust port 14, until slide 34 reaches the same position as that occupied by 34' in FIGURE 5, whereby the chamber is evacuated of substantially all of the products of combustion and the entire cycle of intake, compression, ignition, expansion and power, and exhaust has been completed for the chamber. The chamber is then ready to repeat the cycle.

As each hinge element 36 moves along the wall of cylinder 10 from the midpoint of a fiat side 11 of the cylinder to the midpoint of a curved end 12, extension members 42 and 44 of the spider arm 40 connected to the hinge element unfold about hinges 46 from a position of minimum to a position of maximum extension. As each hinge element 36 moves along the wall of cylinder 10 from the midpoint of a curved end 12 of the cylinder to the midpoint of a flat side 11, extension members 42 and 44 of the spider arm 40 connected to the hinge element fold about hinges 46 from a position of maximum to a position of minimum extension. The axes of all hinges 46 are transverse to the axis of shaft 24 so that rotation of the shaft is imparted through boss 30, spider arms 4t) and hinge elements 36, to piston member 32, and rotation of the piston member is imparted to the shaft in a similar manner, whether extension members 42 and 44 are partially or completely folded or unfolded.

It will be noted that, as piston 32 rotates, each chamber, in turn, passes in sequence through the phases of intake, compression, ignition, expansion land power, and exhaust. Each revolution of piston member 32 within cylinder 10 produces four power impulses which drive shaft 24. The engine may be constructed to operate with clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of piston member 32, or, selectively, either. Further, several of such engines may be connected in tandem, either in or out of phase with each other, to provide added power.

While auxiliary power means, such as a hand crank or electric starter motor, is utilized to rotate piston 32 until a first chamber is ignited, thereafter the process is selfperpetuating, and the speed and other operational characteristics of the engine may be regulated by conventional means utilized in the regulation of reciprocal engines, as by control of timing, fuel ilow, and fuel-air ratio.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is tov be taken as a preferred embodiment of the same and that resort may be had to various changes in construction without departing from the scope of the subjoined claim.

What is claimed is:

A rotary engine comprising, a stationary cylinder member having a pair of spaced, parallel, opposing at sides and a pair of opposing, curved ends; an intake port in a first quadrant of said cylinder to introduce a combustible fuel mixture therein; an exhaust port in the second quadrant of said cylinder; means in the third quadrant of said cylinder to ignite said mixture; a cylinder head adapted to close said cylinder; a shaft, having a boss thereon, rotatably journaled within said cylinder and cylinder head at the centers thereof and normal thereto and extending outwardly therefrom; an articulated piston member centrally located within said cylinder and having four elongated, at, slide elements of equal length, each having a recess in the outer surface thereof, and hingeably interconnected by hinge elements rigidly connected to said slide elements at their remote ends to form a rotatable, collapsible, rhombus-like structure surrounding said shaft; a spider arm radially connecting each hinge member with said boss and having a pair of extension members foldably interconnected by hinges to each other `and to said hinge element and to said boss; a pair of spring-loaded seal strips borne by each side edge of each slide element; a spring loaded .annular sealing ring borne by each end of each hinge element; a seal strip borne by the outer cylindrical surface of each hinge element; said parallel sides of said cylinder member being spaced a distance apart such as to snugly and slidingly embrace each pair of opposing slide elements when the opposite pair are disposed at a right angle thereto; `the length of said parallel sides of said cylinder member and the form of the curved ends thereof being selected to be such that said parallel sides and curved ends are constantly contacted by all of said seal strips borne by the outer cylindrical surfaces of said hinge elements as said piston member rotates about said shaft and within said cylinder, to form four separate combustion chambers.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS JOSEPH H. BRANSON, IR., Primary Examiner. 

